NFL Divisional playoffs day 1 open thread

posted at 8:00 am on January 14, 2012 by Ed Morrissey

Since I was on the road in New Hampshire last week, I didn’t get much of an opportunity to watch the wild-card round of football games … with one exception. Thanks to the last really bad day of a nasty head cold, I ended up staying in my hotel room to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos, and … let’s just say it didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped. It was actually a fantastic game, and the Steelers came back from 14 down at the half to take it into overtime. However, it took longer to explain the convoluted playoff-OT rule than it did to actually end the OT period, which only took 11 seconds and one 80-yard TD pass on a slant route.

Needless to say, I went 1-1 in my first set of picks for the playoffs.

Today we have two great games on tap:

Saints at 49ers — San Francisco has only lost one game at home all year, while New Orleans has lost three on the road. The Niners had a whole division of weak competitors, although Seattle came on in the second half and looked pretty good. The Saints destroyed the Lions last week, and while their defense looks like it will have some problems, the Saints have the top-ranked passing offense going up against the 16th-ranked passing defense. They also have Drew Brees, who has playoff and Super Bowl experience, while the 49ers have not been here in a long time. I’ll take New Orleans, 34-30 in a shootout.

Broncos at Patriots — Hey, I like Tim Tebow. I even liked him when he beat my Steelers. Tebow is a class act, especially off the football field, to which I’ll return in a moment. Tebow even has playoff-like experience by way of the college national championship game at the end of the 2008 season, which he won. But let’s not kid ourselves here. The 8-8 Broncos defeated a beaten-up Steeler team without key personnel (including their starting running back and two defensive starters) at home, and it took them an overtime period to do it. They have to go on the road to face the #1 seeded Patriots, taking with them the 31st-rated passing offense and a defense rated 18th against the pass and 22nd against the run. Oh, and who do they face? Only 4-time Super Bowl QB Tom Brady and the 2nd-rated passing offense in the league. I’ll be rooting for Tebow, but it would take a genuine, Lazarus-like miracle for the Broncos to beat the Patriots in Foxboro tomorrow evening. The line has New England by 14 points, but they’ll beat the spread with a 35-14 win at home.

But I’m not kidding about Tebow being a class act. ESPN’s Rick Reilly has a must-read essay titled, “I Believe in Tim Tebow” (which AP also linked last night), and you will too after reading it:

I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.

No, I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.

Who among us is this selfless?

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured, flies them and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave and Buster’s), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.

Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomasin the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?

Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

It’s worth noting that there are more than a few NFL players who do this kind of outreach, and some that will soon come to the NFL, such as Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, who brought a young girl who has fought cancer into remission to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl with him after a long correspondence between the two. Tebow does this constantly, though, and for the most part does it quietly as well. Be sure to read the whole column, and you’ll understand why even those of us who don’t give Denver a snowball’s chance in you-know-where will still be rooting for Tebow and his teammates tonight. I’ll be delighted to be proved wrong with this pick.

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Comments

This season proved once and for all Manning is the better QB. People that know anything about football knew it already.

Brady is just a robo QB in Belichick’s system. When Brady got hurt Belichick had another guy doing Brady numbers in no time. The Colts did not even win a game for three moths without Manning. Any QB with average skills would succeed in NE.

Manning has accomplished everything he has playing for three different coaches, too. It’s scary to think about what would have happened if Manning had played for Belichick.

Here is who Denver is playing next year… I really doubt they make the playoffs again. I think then win 5 games… 7 tops if they’re lucky. The teams in their division were really starting to play well at the end of the season and Denver barely made it in. Tebow needs time to develop without so much attention put upon him… and he and his PR people need to work to keep the attention off of him for a while.

God apparently does NOT play his hand in NFL Football. Excepting certain fumbles, interceptions, various bobbles, foibles and other misc. miscues – maybe the occasional “miracle” play – but He doesn’t seem to do “absolute” victory.

A bit of taking the Lord’s name in vain around here.
Both in fact were favorites of mine.
i can see why the attitude may rub three wrong way a bit.
But Tedy never attacked the other guys, talked crap, etc.
More like you are not going to beat us. It worked that way, and helped to spawn the culture that still exists there.
It would be arrogant if they never backed it up, but they really did.

I see similarities in the Cheezwhizzers attitude now.
I think that is what it takes at this level.
***********
Still more Gronking. There are no answers for that guy.

I would really like to understand why the intolerant, hateful Left wingers hate Tebow. Countless of players throughout the ages have prayed before, during and after a game. I am a soccer fat an too. If you watch soccer, countless of prayers cross themselves. They pray the Lord’s Prayer before a game. Muhammad Ali prayed to Allah before and after a match many times in public. Thus why the hate against Tebow? I guess you prefer to idolize the countless of drug dealing, women beaters, womanizers in the NBA, NFL, etc. that the media props up.

It is amusing how the Left hates Christians yet they call themselves open minded and tolerant.

As for “near his stadium”, land values around The Razor are not too shabby. The Krafts have turned the Patriots stadium complex into a huge money maker called “Patriot Place”, and the Democrats who run MA just legalized 3 future casinos. One of these will most likely be in Foxboro (see “Steve Wynn”)

“I’m announcing today, my new plan to skjfhaskjghfksg^@$^@$@& reduce the Federal budget to 2007 levels skjfhaskjghfksg^@$^@$@& and reduce taxes so we can increase revenue to balance the Federal budget skjfhaskjghfksg^@$^@$@& so unemployment will decrease to under 5% and skjfhaskjghfksg^@$^@$@& I will not seek, nor accept, my Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2012. “

I dunno…a mansion in Mass, or a mansion in Cali? Can I sell it quick? ;)

Who is John Galt on January 14, 2012 at 11:13 PM

Houses like Brady’s have a unique market. First of all, only 1% of the population can afford to purchase them, but many won’t. Usually the buyer pool for these houses is other athletes, or some rube who wins the Lottery and simply wants to buy a huge home.

Because as things stand, Tebow is better off than Super Bowl winning MVP Pro Bowl Kurt Warner, whose riches & fame have sapped the once-zealous faith out of him.
Warner has been on Tebow’s case to tone it down.

Because as things stand, Tebow is better off than Super Bowl winning MVP Pro Bowl Kurt Warner, whose riches & fame have sapped the once-zealous faith out of him.
Warner has been on Tebow’s case to tone it down.

Oh eat it… Warner was right… and Warner speaking out ont that ballot initiative is 10 times as courageous as anything Tebow has ever done… it’s one thing to be a christian role model and it’s another thing to wrap yourself so much into Jesus that it could repel people away. I honestly don’t find Tebowism to be healthy at all.

Did we watch the same game? Tebow was almost going 3-16 for completions.

haner on January 14, 2012 at 11:49 PM

This was a Denver team that clearly went into the game saying “we made our point last week – we deserved to be here” and went in expecting to lose.

Look at the offense last week and compare it to this week. I don’t remember many (if any) deep balls tonight. All short passes and way too many runs. They didn’t mix it up all like last week. Looked like a totally different offense out there.

Defense didn’t play well at all tonight for Denver, even from the first drive – you knew it was gonna be a long night.

LOL, Cassell? Examine the records from that season. He had 4 or 5 games out of those 11 wins with “Brady Numbers”, but the rest were not.

Del Dolemonte on January 14, 2012 at 10:48 PM

And it’s another example of New England being prepared for all sorts of situations unlike, say, the Colts, whose season went into the toilet as soon as Manning was injured.

This is the difference between the Colts and the Patriots. Irsay and Polian were perfectly willing to play with fire by not investing in a solid back-up for Manning, and to overpay the forehead while neglecting many of the skill players. Now they’ve messed up the season, and with a $28 million dollar roster bonus due in March, there’s a real problem cap-wise with the Colts. Wayne wants to stay, Clarke wants to stay, Saturday would like to stay, but there’s only so much money left, AND have enough to cover Luck’s rookie contract and sign their other draft picks. The salary cap isn’t going up this year, so the Colts will be in a world of hurt. Look for them to either do a serious renegotiation with Manning, or let him go elsewhere.

New England has a solid backup in Hoyer, and another up and coming one in Mallet. They have a solid O-line signed for the near term, and also a good D-line under contract. They can take some physical losses to skill players and keep on ticking.

But, like you know, Del, haters are gonna hate, regardless of the facts.

This season proved once and for all Manning is the better QB. People that know anything about football knew it already.

Brady is just a robo QB in Belichick’s system. When Brady got hurt Belichick had another guy doing Brady numbers in no time. The Colts did not even win a game for three moths without Manning. Any QB with average skills would succeed in NE.

Manning has accomplished everything he has playing for three different coaches, too. It’s scary to think about what would have happened if Manning had played for Belichick.

Moesart on January 14, 2012 at 10:20 PM

Wow…You don’t have to like the guy, but if you want your comments to be taken even remotely seriously, they really should be at least slightly grounded in reality.

This season proved once and for all Manning is the better QB. People that know anything about football knew it already.

Brady is just a robo QB in Belichick’s system. When Brady got hurt Belichick had another guy doing Brady numbers in no time. The Colts did not even win a game for three moths without Manning. Any QB with average skills would succeed in NE.

Manning has accomplished everything he has playing for three different coaches, too. It’s scary to think about what would have happened if Manning had played for Belichick.

Moesart on January 14, 2012 at 10:20 PM

LOL that is ridiculous.

Here’s the thing about the Pats (and I love the Pats. Brady forever!) The Patriots have a solid team put together for every single facet of football. O-line? Check. D-line? Check. Special Teams? Super-dee-duper Check. And of course, Brady as the centerpiece in QB that can make it hum with an impressive level of consistency over the long term. There’s a reason the Brady/Belichick combo has been a playoff contender basically every year of the arrangement, Superbowl victory or no.

Yes, there are often complaints about the D-line and I’ve yelled at Matt Light for idiotic hasty penalties far too many times, but generally speaking no matter who is facing them, the Patriots are a tough team. They aren’t usually the *best* in any given category but they rank high in most, even in weak years.

The Colts seem to pin all their hopes on Manning and when he goes down, the team implodes. The Patriots have made numerous draft picks for players that have held leadership positions in college so that even if TB goes down, they have enough “football smart” players to keep the team synergy going.

There may never be another Tom Brady after he retires, but the Patriots have a great system in place. It isn’t perfect, but it succeeds very well.